callie

Do teens really know what the penalty for crimes are? Punishments should not be word of mouth. The responsibility of schools is not to be a parent. However, students are taking Home Economics and learning to work an oven instead of learning life skills. Why do we not speed? Because we know it will cost us hundreds of dollars. Teach youth the exact penalties for common crimes such as speeding, sex with minors, and drug use and sales. The information could be a portion of the student handbook. Real crimes and real penalties.

Sandpiper

There is nothing magical about the age of 18. A 16-year old can be as dangerous as a wounded lion and an 18 year old as docile as a lamb. Classification by crime (violent or not) and criminal history should be the determinants.

thedevilsadvocate

The U.S. has 4.5% of the world's population and 25% of its inmates. Maybe if we stopped and asked ourselves what we as a society are doing wrong that we generate so many antisocial people who must be incarcerated and devoted half the effort to preventing crime as we do toward punishing it, we wouldn't need so many prisons (and would have fewer crime victims for the lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key crowd to moan about). Prisons are supposed to be for people we are afraid of -- not the ones we are mad at. Stopping the stupid, unwinnable war on drugs that only fills the prisons and empowers organized crime would be a good place to start. Didn't we learn this lesson with Prohibition?